The Tournament
by WizardthatsaDemigod
Summary: What would happen if Percy and crew join Harry and crew for the Triwizard Tournament! Who will compete? Who will win? Will Voldemort rise? This story explores those possibilities. Rated T for violence.
1. Chapter 1

**Alright! New story! I hope you enjoy, and this** ** _obviously_** **contains Goblet of Fire Spoilers (excuse my sarcasticness).**

The Tournament

Harry POV

Today was the day. It was the day the other schools would arrive. I had been told that it would be three schools arriving. The students were all outside on the steps.

Two of the four schools had arrived. Most students had gone in when Krum had arrived-including Ron- but I wanted to see the next contenders. We waited for a good fifteen minutes before we got a glimpse.

It happened so fast. First, a giant metal dragon came hurtling into our midst. Atop it was a Hispanic looking boy who was whooping and shouting. He looked to be the age of a sixth year.

Then came the ship.

It was a giant warship that came _flying_ in to their midst. It dwarfed the Durmstrang ship by a lot. It sailed in and a few people jumped off the boat. A few Hogwarts students cried out in alarm. The people hit the water and went under, before a large wave rose up _with the people on top of it_.

I cheered along with the others. This had to be one of the best entrances I had ever seen. Atop the wave there were eight figures. The one in front had his hands outstretched and seemed to be controlling the wave. He looked to be about the age of a sixth year. Next to him was a girl with blond hair, sixth year as well. Behind them in a row of six there was a shorter, black haired boy who looked to be the age of a second or third year, with a girl with long braided black hair next to him that looked to be the age of a fifth or sixth year. Then there was an asian boy who was the age of a sixth year. Next to him was a shorter girl who looked to be a sixth year. Then there was a blond haired boy with glasses who looked to be sixth year age. Lastly there was a girl who had a native american look with brown hair. She looked to be the age of a sixth year as well. They landed on shore and started walking towards the gawking students. The boat landed behind them on the lake with a whooping older guy at the controls. The kid with the dragon landed next to the other kids and jumped off his dragon. The dragon turned his head and _shot fire at him_. When the flames subsided the kid was still there intact, only laughing.

"I love you too Festus. Thanks for the ride, buddy," he said. The other eight had turned to us and were laughing at our bewilderment. The rest of the school jumped off the boat and swam, or got to shore by a mechanical gangplank that was lowered. They were wearing a mix of orange or purple t-shirts. Their leader was a centaur who clip clopped up to Dumbledore.

"Chiron! Long time no see!?" He cried, clapping a hand on the centaurs shoulder. The centaur wore a tweed jacket over an orange shirt.

"Yes, Dumbledore, long time no see. I am glad to see you are still in good health, how is the, ah, Lord Voldemort threat?" There were some gasps and flinches when the centaur used the name so easily. The two headmasters started walking in while chatting, followed by the students. The black haired boy who had been controlling the wave and the blond haired girl followed right behind them, laughing and joking around. I was in awe. How could they act so casual with the Triwizard Tournament in the balance? The Hogwarts students followed fairly eagerly.

We got to the dining hall and found the students from the new school standing around awkwardly wondering where they should sit. I approached the eight who had been on the wave.

"Hey, uh. I'm Harry. Would you like to sit at the Gryffindor table with us? We have, well, uh, not plenty, but enough room. I'm sure Dumbledore could make it bigger if he wanted to I guess," I offered.

"Thanks Harry!" The wave boy said. Now that I was next to him, I could see he stood a few inches higher than me. "I'm Percy," he continued. "These are my friends, Annabeth," he motioned to the blond girl next to him. "Leo," the hispanic boy grinned and flashed a peace sign. "Jason and Piper," he motioned to the blond boy, and the native american girl who both smiled. "Frank and Hazel," the asian dude and the shorter girl. "And lastly, Nico and Reyna," the short black haired kid and the long haired girl. I nodded and tried to cram the new names into my brain.

They followed me to the Gryffindor table. I sat down next to Hermione and Ron, who was staring in awe at Krum, and we started exchanging names with both of them. I had just finished introducing Frank and Hazel when Dumbledore clapped twice. All eyes turned to him. I spotted the centaur named Chiron sitting next to Professor McGonagall and Snape. The poor chap.

"Welcome students from Durmstrang and Beauxbatons! Welcome students from Camp Half-Blood and Camp Jupiter! We welcome you to Hogwarts School For Witchcraft and Wizardry. This year, as your headmasters and headmistresses have informed you, Hogwarts will be hosting the Triwizard Tournament. Now, as you know the Triwizard Tournament usually only has three schools. But this year, we have decided to make an exception for the Camp Half-Blood and Jupiter folks. Chiron, their co-leader, the other two leaders are the students Frank Zhang and Reyna Ramirez-Arellano. Since they are students, they were deemed not old enough to lead their campers into the Triwizard tournament," I looked over at Reyna who was scowling deeply.

"I led these campers through the war on Gaea. I can lead them through this," she muttered. Nico was patting her arm, trying to comfort her. I noticed he winced when she said Gaea. Maybe this Gaea was a threat like Voldemort. I also noticed that Dumbledore and Reyna had referred to the students as campers. Wondering what that meant, I turned my attention back to Dumbledore.

"Anybody wishing to submit themselves as champion must write their name and school clearly upon a slip of parchment and drop it into the goblet," said Dumbledore. "Aspiring champions have twenty-four hours in which to put their names forward. Tomorrow night, Halloween, the goblet will return the names of the four it has judged most worthy to represent their schools. The goblet will be placed in the entrance hall tonight, where it will be freely accessible to all those wishing to compete. To ensure that no underage student yields to temptation," said Dumbledore, "I will be drawing an Age Line around the Goblet of Fire once it has been placed in the entrance hall. Nobody under the age of seventeen will be able to cross this line. There is one slight exception however. You have all noticed that the campers from the camps, most are significantly younger than you, yet most have been through more than you. Just ask Perseus-"

"It's Percy!" Percy called.

"I beg your pardon young man?" Dumbledore asked calmly, not seeming to mind that Percy had interrupted.

Percy stood up, and all of the eyes were on him. However, he did not falter. "My name is Percy Jackson," he said. I could see Chiron the centaur sighing at the head table. Dumbledore however, chuckled into his beard.

"Ah, I beg your pardon. I'm sorry. As I was saying, just ask _Percy_ Jackson about the things they have done. I am sure he would be happy to talk about it. They will be allowed to cross the age line, as long as they are older than thirteen," Nico sighed dejectedly.

"That's rubbish!" The Weasley twins called.

"No, Mr. Weasley and Mr. Weasley, it is not rubbish. Just ask Percy what he has gone through. You can all see that Percy and Annabeth have grey streaks in their hair. That is a painful memory from when they held up the sky. Now, I know you don't believe me, just ask them, any other camper, or Chiron here. They have saved our world from harm more times than you can count, and have made our work easier without the threat of other monsters like the Titan Kronos or the Elder Titan Gaea. They have made all of our work easier and have let Harry continue to fight the threat that is Voldemort. Now, back to the Triwizard Tournament. Now that we are done talking about that, you may start to eat. _Bon appétit!_ " The Beauxbatons students said a _Bon appétit_ back, leaving the non-french students, and me to wonder what it meant.

"It means enjoy your meal," Hermione whispered. "Or, more directly, good appetite."

"Yeah, yeah, Hermione, we know that you're a know it all. You don't have to rub it in," Ron mumbled.

"Oh, you're a know it all? Then you'll get along really well with Annabeth. She's a know it all as well!" Percy said.

"Hey!" Annabeth cried in protest. "I'm not that bad… Am I?" She asked. Percy laughed and gave her a peck on the cheek.

"Don't worry, I can handle it… most of the time," he said, it earned him a slap on the arm from Annabeth. I snorted.

"Now, how do you get food in this joint?" He asked.

"Oh, you just take it from these plates," I said, just as Dumbledore clapped his hands and the food appeared. They all dug in eagerly.

When they were all full, it took a while for Percy to get full, and we stood up.

Percy took a pen from his pocket, and uncapped it. It turned into a three foot long bronze sword. We all cried out in alarm.

"Oh, sorry to alarm you guys. Just gotta get this into pen form," he said, capping the hilt. It turned into a ballpoint pen. "Anyone have a piece of paper?" He asked. Annabeth handed him one and he scrawled out **Percy Jackson - Camp Half Blood** on it. He then walked over to the Goblet where Dumbledore had just finished installing the Age Line. Percy stepped up confidently, was waved forward by Dumbledore and crossed the Line. There was a loud cheer that came up when nothing happened. He grinned and deposited his name in the goblet. The fire flared up and accepted the paper. Percy walked back confidently and was smiled and nodded at by Dumbledore. I wondered who Percy really was, to be accepted by Dumbledore so respectfully.

We all separated to go to bed. I walked back to the Gryffindor Common Room. We got there, entered and Hermione went for a book. Ron and I sat down on chairs in front of the fire and started playing Wizard Chess.

About an hour later, Hermione came running down the stairs from her dorm yelling our names.

"Harry! Ron! I've figured it out! Dumbledore called the centaur Chiron, so I looked into it, and there is a centaur in the Greek Myths called Chiron. I looked through the whole thing, and it never said anything about him dying. What if that's really him? What if he was really the Chiron from the stories? That would explain the lack of wands near with the other students!"

"Blimey, Hermione. You really think a dude that old would still be teaching? It just seems really unlikely!" Ron said. I nodded, then yawned.

"Well, good theory. I'm going to bed. G'night," I went up and changed, then collapsed on my bed.

 **There you go! First chapter up! Next chapter this weekend! Weekend updates remember. :)**

 **In the mean time, go check out my other stories! Don't forget to review!**

 **Thanks,**

 **~doodledraw**


	2. Chapter 2

Percy POV

Well, I did it. I put my name in the Goblet. So did everyone else from The 7 besides Nico. We went outside after separating from Harry, Ron, and Hermione. Annabeth and I sat down under a tree. The rest went to bed.

Chiron came up to us shortly after. "Percy, what were you thinking standing up and correcting Dumbledore like that? It was highly disrespectful, and indicated that you thought you were above him. I hope never to see that behavior from you again, are you listening young man?"

"Yes, Chiron."

"Good. Never again, you hear me? Never again. Time to come in now children, curfew has started," we followed him into the Argo II. We got to our cabin, we shared one, and said goodnight to Chiron. We changed and got into bed. Yes, we shared one, don't say anything, it won't change. The thing was, Annabeth couldn't stand to be without me now. It was a source of comfort as well, when we woke from nightmares, there was the relief of finding the other next to you. We settled in and I gave Annabeth a hug.

"Why is the Tournament such a big deal? It hardly seems harder than something we've already faced," I asked.

"Yeah, for us, but for her they haven't faced anything like us before. Good night Percy," she replied.

"Night Annabeth," I replied.

The next morning, we woke and got down to the Great Hall. We sat where we had before, and I waited eagerly for the champions to be called. Dumbledore walked to the Goblet and waited for the Goblet to choose.

It spat out a piece of paper.

"The champion for Durmstrang, is Viktor Krum," the Durmstrang crew cheered greatly. Viktor slouched up to the door and entered.

The Goblet spat out another piece of paper.

"The champion for Beauxbatons, is Fleur Delacour," Fleur stood gracefully amid cheering.

Another piece of paper.

Dumbledore grabbed it, smiled and announced, "The Hogwarts champion is Cedric Diggory."

"No!" Said Ron loudly, but the uproar was too great and he was not heard. I crossed my fingers.

The last piece of paper was spat out.

"The Camps champion is," Dumbledore paused. "Percy Jackson!"

"Yes!" I pumped my fist. I stood up confidently. The room was filled with cheering from every demigod in the room. I'd have to see it beat all of the others. I walked up with no hesitation. Dumbledore smiled, and nodded at me. Chiron was standing, clapping hard, and smiling broadly.

"Well done Percy. Well done, I can't think of a better champion," he said. I smiled and entered the door. I stepped into the room where Viktor, Fleur, and Cedric were waiting.

"Percy is it? Nice job man!" Cedric called, slapping me on the shoulder. Then the door opened again.

There stood Harry.

"What is it?" Fleur asked. "Do zey want us back in ze hall?"

Harry gulped. "No. I was chosen," he said. I walked up to him.

"Sorry, man. Hey, it won't be that bad," I said comfortingly.

The door burst open again.

"Dumbledore, this is unacceptable! We bent the rules already allowing the Camps in, now another Hogwarts champion?" The leader of Durmstrang, Karkaroff said.

Dumbledore brushed it all off and walked up to Harry. "Harry, did you put your name in the Goblet of Fire?"

"No! Professor, you know I didn't!" Dumbledore sighed.

"Yes, Harry, I know. Now there's the other schools we have to worry about,"

"Dumbledore, if I may, I would gladly step out of the way for Harry," I said.

"Thank you Percy, my dear boy, but there is a binding contract. As soon as the Goblet accepts someone, it is final."

"Then there shouldn't be any complaints. It's final, nobody can stop. Shouldn't we just move forward?"

"Wise words Percy, wise words," a man named Ludo Bagman said.

"The first task, is one to test your daring, so we won't tell you what it is. It is on November 24th, so good luck champions!" Barty Crouch said. I smiled and we all walked out of the room. I was assaulted by my friends.

"What is it Percy?! What is the first challenge?" I shrugged and kept walking, only letting Annabeth hold my hand. We walked out and I took out Riptide.

"Train?" I asked Annabeth.

"Do I ever."

We started training. We moved around the grass, fighting. A crowd assembled around us, with students from every school. I answered questions in between jabs.

"Percy what is the task?"

"I dunno, they didn't tell us. Just something like, 'this will test your daring'... yada yada," I replied.

"What are you going to do?"

"Wait it out. What else am I supposed to do?" I asked. They had no reply, so I continued dueling. When Annabeth was tired, I asked if anyone wanted to try.

"Alright Percy. You and me. Bet I can beat you this time," Jason said. I rolled my eyes.

"Suuure," I replied. We started dueling and I won. Again.

"Yes! Consecutive win number 400! I'm done. Time to go to sleep," I said, heading for the ship.

November 24th

First task.

I sit in the tent while other's pace. Harry sits next to me, contemplating. Then Crouch, Bagman, Dumbledore, Karkaroff, Maxime, and Chiron come in. Bagman has a silk pouch in his hands. I turn to face them and pull on my bronze breastplate nervously. Harry had warned me about the dragons, so I wasn't worried, it was just the _type_ of dragon. I know I can heal myself, but…

"Alright! You will select a model from this bag, your task is to collect the golden egg!" Bagman cried. Fleur selected her's first. She got something called a Welsh Green. It had a number two around its neck. Krum got a Chinese Fireball, with a number three. Cedric got a Swedish Short Snout, number one.

I reached into the bag.

I pulled out a copper colored dragon, with black ridge marks, and short horns. It had a number four.

A Peruvian Vipertooth.

I could tell the way Cedric sucked in a breath that it was dangerous.

"Percy, that's a Peruvian Vipertooth. That's a highly venomous dragon," he said. I shrugged.

"No biggie," I answered calmly. He looked skeptical but didn't say anything.

Harry pulled out a Norwegian Ridgeback. It had a number five.

He gulped and put on a strong face. Bagman pulled him aside, and ran back through when the whistle sounded. Cedric went.

I could hear the roar of the crowd.

Bagman's commentary (atrocious).

The deafening roar that indicated he had gotten the egg.

The same happened with Fleur. Then Krum.

My turn.

I gulped and walked out into the enclosure. The crowd was roaring. I could see Annabeth cheering herself hoarse. That gave me a burst of adrenaline. I examined the dragon. It was gnashing its large teeth and growling low.

I smiled at it.

"So you wanna play boy? Let's play." I muttered.

I drew my sword and started running at it. It is about 15 feet long. Let's see… I'm 6 feet tall, Riptide is another 3 feet… 9 feet tall. Wait. Am I really doing math?

Heck, I'm just gonna fight.

I can't do any damage to the eggs so I'll have to be careful…

"Ah, Percy drew his sword, that won't do him much good he can't hurt the eggs. Maybe he's just going for-"

"SHUT UP BAGMAN!" I yelled. I could hear the other demigods howling with laughter.

"Excuse me?"

"YOU HEARD ME! WE DON'T NEED COMMENTARY! EVERYONE CAN SEE WHAT I'M DOING. OH. AM I GOING TO GET POINTS OFF FOR THIS? THEN NEVER MIND, KEEP COMMENTATING," I yelled back, while still running towards the dragon. I was some few feet away when it blew fire. I summoned a shield of water and stopped the flames. I then jumped up on a wave and rode high up to the judges stand.

I saluted the judges and let the water go. I fell down and landed on the dragon's back. It squirmed and bucked trying to get me off.

"RIDE 'EM COWBOY!" Leo yelled. I smiled. Then, created another wave. I made it look like me, added it to the back of the dragon so it still thought I was on and used another wave to still get under it while it bucked. I grabbed the golden egg and rode out.

"And he's done it!" Bagman yelled. "With not a scratch on him! That was most impressive, I'm sure the judges will agree with me. Oh, what's he doing now?"

I created a wave that blasted me up onto the judges stand. I stood on the gold trim in front of Bagman. I walked down the gold trim, giving a salute or a bow to all the judges and stopped in front of Chiron.

"What'd you think?" I asked.

"I'd have to agree with Mr. Bagman over there, excellent job Percy, just excellent. I'm sure nobody will object if I give you a ten?" Chiron said smugly. He glanced at Bagman, who was nodding like mad. Chiron stood up, took a board and changed the number to a giant ten. He held it up for all to see and there was a roar of approval from all the demigods and most of the other students. Bagman was next, he raised his wand and a gold ten shot out of it. Then came Dumbledore, gave me a eight, then Maxime, eight. Crouch, nine, Karkaroff, six. I scowled at him and then jumped off the trim again. The crowd roared as I got closer and closer to the ground. At the last second, a wave blasted me to where Annabeth was in the front row. I stood on the banister and leaned down and kissed her.  
The crowd roared it's approval. When we parted, I smiled at her and grabbed her gloved hand. I pulled her up to the banister and wrapped my arms around her waist. I smiled cheekily.

"Percy… Don't you dare!" I just smiled and stepped off the banister again.

"PERSEUS JACKSON!" She yelled. When we got near the bottom and landed us softly with the help of water. Then we walked out, me waving to the crowd.

"Now that was some exit!" Bagman yelled. "Let's see if Harry freakin' Potter can do better!"

I scowled. "I hate that guy," I said.

"I gathered from when you yelled at him to shut up," Annabeth said.

"Probably shouldn't have done that right?"

"No, but you couldn't help it. Come on! Let's go watch!"

We got to a place where we could see and watched Harry.

"Accio Firebolt!" He cried, raising his wand. A few seconds later a broom sped towards him. It stopped and he mounted, kicking off.

"Oh, goodness, he has a Firebolt? This might be the best one yet!" Bagman yelled. Harry rose higher until he was no more than a speck. Then he came diving down at a speed I could never hope to accomplish. The Horntail blew fire at him and Harry dodged easily.

"Great Scott, he can fly!" Bagman shouted. "Are you watching this, Mr. Krum? Mr. Jackson?" Harry soared higher in a circle then dove again. He missed the flames, but the tail came to meet his shoulder, tearing his robes. Then he began to swerve, and gradually drew the Horntail upwards. She let out a roar of frustration and came off the ground… Harry saw his opportunity, he dove before the dragon knew what he was doing and grabbed the golden egg and flew out. I cheered along with the rest of the crowd.

"Look at that!" Bagman was yelling. "Will you look at that! Our youngest champion is quickest to get his egg! Well, this is going to shorten the odds on Mr. Potter!"

"And here he is folks! All bandaged up and ready to get his scores!" Bagman raised his wand and a silver ten shot out. Maxime, eight. Crouch, nine. Dumbledore, nine. Karkaroff, four.

FOUR? That was so much better than a four!

Chiron, ten.

"And there it is! Mr. Jackson and Mr. Potter are now all tied for first place!" I smiled and we walked back to the tent, hand in hand.

We got back to the tent and Bagman claps me on the back. "Very good Mr. Jackson! All of you! Well done! Now, you have a nice long break. The clue about the next task is in the egg. Decipher it, and you will know what waits for you. Good luck! Your next challenge is February 24th!" He announces curtly. Then he leaves, and we are all dismissed.

"I'm gonna go jump in the lake to clear my head, see you guys," I said.

"Uhh, Percy, that might not be the best idea. There's a giant squid you see," Harry warned me.

"Cool! Where is it?! Can I see it?!" I asked, looking around the lake eagerly. Harry shrugged. I jumped into the lake, without realizing that I was still holding the egg. I swam around for a bit, still holding the egg, and then I decided, what the heck, I'll open the egg and see if I can understand it. I opened it and heard,

 _Come seek us where our voices sound,_

 _We cannot sing above the ground,_

 _And while you're searching ponder this;_

 _We've taken what you'll sorely miss,_

 _An hour long you'll have to look,_

 _And to recover what we took,_

 _But past an hour, the prospect's black,_

 _Too late, it's gone, it won't come back._

Well, that's interesting. I quickly memorized it and propelled myself out of the water. I landed on the beach, and ran off to find Annabeth.

"Hey! Annabeth! Meet me in our room!" I yelled at her. She closed her book and started running alongside me.

"What is it?"

"I figured out part of the next clue!" I answered when we were in the privacy of our room. I stashed the golden egg in the closet. Then I grabbed paper and wrote down what I had heard. I showed Annabeth the paper.

"You said you heard this underwater?" I nodded. " _Where our voices sound_ , must be underwater then," she said, writing that down next to the words. "I wonder if there are merpeople in the lake…" She muttered and wrote that down as well. " _Taken what you'll sorely miss_. That one's obvious… _An hour long,_ it's timed then… The rest is obvious as well," she finished. At the end our notes looked like this:

My notes: Annabeth:

 _ **Come seek us where our voices sound,**_ Underwater

 _ **We cannot sing above the ground,**_ Merpeople?

 _ **And while you're searching ponder this;**_ What?

 _ **We've taken what you'll sorely miss,**_ Obvious

 _ **An hour long you'll have to look,**_ Timed Trial

 _ **And to recover what we took,**_ Obvious

 _ **But past an hour, the prospect's black,**_ Obvious

 _ **Too late, it's gone, it won't come back.**_ The thing is gone forever

"I bet we've figured it out faster than anybody else. Thanks Annabeth," I said.

"You'll rock this one. It's in your home turf!"

"I bet I know what they'll take from me."

"What?"

"You, because you are what matters most to me," I said. Annabeth smiled and gave me a peck on the cheek. I smiled at her and we walked out again for dinner. We got to the Dining Hall and all eyes were on me. The girls stared at me enviously, my hand clasping Annabeth's… If Annabeth died before I got the chance to save her… well… I wouldn't be surprised. I gave Annabeth's hand a little squeeze and she grinned at me. We took our usual seats next to the trio. Harry grinned at me.

"Tough little Trial 'eh?" He asked. I grinned.

"Well… compared to some of the things I've faced before, that dragon was nothing. I was really just killing time," I answered, smirking.

Annabeth slapped me playfully in the arm. "I noticed, you little showoff. Those tricks with the water didn't escape my notice. When you yelled at Bagman to shut up was the best part though. You have no fear of Dumbledore or the other judges do you?"

"Nada. None. That was a piece of cake, it was fun too. A good break from Gaea and Kronos threats as well," I answered.

Dumbledore clapped twice to get everyone's attention. "Now. That was certainly exciting, and I'm sure you will all agree with me. Give it up for Mr. Krum!" There was a smattering of applause, Ron clapping whole heartedly. "Miss. Delacour?!" Again, a volley of clapping. "Mr. Diggory?!" Dumbledore clapped loudly, and this was the loudest yet, because the Hogwarts crowd loved him. Cedric bowed his head modestly, but I could see he enjoyed it. "Mr. Jackson!" Chiron rose to his feet- hooves, sorry- and gave me a big round of applause. The Camps were cheering themselves hoarse, and I stood up for a playful bow. "And Mr. Potter!" I whistled and found Hermione and Ron cheering as loud as they could. Ron's siblings clapped Harry on the back- well, those who could reach him- and then Dumbledore held up his hands.

"I would like to say a few words before we dig into our meal. The Yule Ball will be held on Christmas night during holiday. The next Trial is on February the 24th. That is all, enjoy your meals," and the plates filled with food. I dug in, obviously, and didn't talk for the rest of the time. Honest to goodness, I was famished. All that dragon fighting made me hungry.

 **Hope you enjoyed this! If the scores don't add up to the same number, I don't really care... I didn't do the math.  
Thanks for reading! Don't forget to review,**

 **~Doodledraw**


	3. Chapter 3

**I don't own any of this, I copied some parts from the text.**

Christmas Day - Yule Ball

Harry POV

The Yule Ball was supposed to be a happy day. It was Christmas, after all. The problem? Harry wasn't happy. He had a date, sure. But he had barely managed to scrape himself one. The problem about that? He barely knew her. Percy was lucky. He had no problem choosing who his date would be, and Annabeth probably expected it.

No, the Boy Who Lived was not happy.

Harry didn't know how to dance (even after McGonagall's lessons). This didn't seem like a good Christmas.

Harry woke up and threw off his covers.

"Wake up, Ron! Merry Christmas!" I cried. Dean, Seamus, and Neville were already up and had decided to start without us. There was a stack of packages at the foot of his bed. He smiled and started opening them.

There were two socks from Dobby, a snitch and broomsticks.

A book about Quidditch from Hermione.

Dungbombs from Ron.

A magic penknife from Sirius.

A bunch of candy from Hagrid.

A green sweater with a Hungarian Horntail from Mrs. Weasley.

"Sweet! Thanks Harry!" Ron said, when he opened his gift. Harry smiled and they finished opening their presents. Then they went downstairs to eat breakfast and Dumbledore said a few short words. They dug into their food. Annabeth looked ecstatic, Percy was grinning like a madman. When Ron was about to ask, Harry noticed Annabeth's hand. Her ring finger glittered with, well, a ring.

Ron grinned at Percy. "Well, well, well, Christmas present?"

"Yeah. Finally gathered the courage to do it."

"You Seaweed Brain! I've been waiting for you to ask for a while!"

He blushed. "Well, monsters are one thing, but your wrath?" He let out a low whistle. She laughed.

"I could definitely kill you! Don't worry, as long as you don't die on me, you have nothing to fear," he laughed easily. The rest of the meal was passed in silence.

 _Yule Ball_

Now came the time The Chosen One dreaded.

The Yule Ball itself.

Oh, joy.

He got into my dress robes, and waited for Parvati in the common room. She came in and smiled at me.

"Ready, Harry?"

He gulped. "Yeah. Yeah, I think so."

She led me through the halls and we waited outside of the Great Hall.

Harry would later swear, his nervous breathing was the only sound for a while. Then McGonagall came in and smiled at them.

"Champions over here!" The champions waited to one side as the others entered the Great Hall. Harry looked at the other champions.

Roger Davies, the Ravenclaw Quidditch captain, looked so happy to have Fleur that he couldn't stop looking at her. Harry looked away from Cho and Cedric. Percy had his arm hung casually around Annabeth's shoulders, who was wearing a sleeveless silver dress that matched her eyes perfectly.

"Hermione?" He asked when he saw Krum's partner. Hermione smiled nervously.

"Hi, Harry!" She said. Then the doors opened and they all walked in. Harry was not the only one who started when they saw who Krum's partner was. They walked up and Percy Weasley beckoned Harry over to sit next to him. Harry sat down at the table with the other champions sitting at various intervals. Percy started explaining why he was replacing Mr. Crouch. When he was done, Harry listened to the other conversations. Krum was explaining his school to Hermione, and Karkaroff interrupted with a small chuckle.

"Now, now, Viktor!" said Karkaroff with a laugh that didn't reach his cold eyes, "don't go giving away anything else, now, or your charming friend will know exactly where to find us!"

Dumbledore smiled, his eyes twinkling. "Igor, all this secrecy . . . one would almost think you didn't want visitors."

"Well, Dumbledore," said Karkaroff, displaying his yellowing teeth to their fullest extent, "we are all protective of our private domains, are we not? Do we not jealously guard the halls of learning that have been entrusted to us? Are we not right to be proud that we alone know our school's secrets, and right to protect them?"

"Oh I would never dream of assuming I know all Hogwarts' secrets, Igor," said Dumbledore amicably. "Only this morning, for instance, I took a wrong turning on the way to the bathroom and found myself in a beautifully proportioned room I have never seen before, containing a really rather magnificent collection of chamber pots. When I went back to investigate more closely, I discovered that the room had vanished. But I must keep an eye out for it. Possibly it is only accessible at five-thirty in the morning. Or it may only appear at the quarter moon — or when the seeker has an exceptionally full bladder." Harry snorted into his plate of goulash. Percy frowned, but Harry could have sworn Dumbledore had given him a very small wink. Then Harry heard Hermione trying to teach Krum how to say her name properly.

"Hermy-own."

"Her-my-oh-nee," she said.

"Herm-own-ninny."

"Close enough," she said, smiling at Harry. He grinned back.

They finished dinner and suddenly the lights dimmed. Harry was a bit slow getting up and he tripped over his feet. They got onto the floor as the Weird Sisters struck a tune. Harry was being led by Parvati, and had to do virtually nothing.

Then the song ended and Harry led Parvati away. Percy and Annabeth were now dancing near Fred and Angelina, and they were being so wild that people tended to steer clear of them. Harry sat down near Padma and Ron, who weren't dancing. A Beauxbatons boy asked Parvati away to dance, and Harry didn't even try to stop her. Hermione sat down next to them, looking breathless.

Hermione and Ron had this big argument, Ron arguing that Hermione was _fraternizing with the enemy_. Harry disagreed but Ron wouldn't let up. Finally Hermione stormed off, extremely angry.  
Ron shrugged and looked extremely mad at himself.  
Suddenly Percy and Annabeth came over and fell down into chairs, laughing. Percy walked off to get some drinks, and Annabeth caught her breath.

"This is fun! Do you wizards do this all the time?"

"No. This is more of a special occasion thing. Usually we just have a feast for christmas. But because of the Triwizard Tournament…" Harry explained. Annabeth nodded.

Percy came back holding two glasses of punch. "Here you go, 'Beth."

"You know I hate it when you call me that!" She swiped at his arm playfully. He smiled, proving that he was calling her that on purpose. They ran off, grinning and laughing.

Harry smiled, wondering if he'd ever have a chance of a relationship like that anytime. Harry turned his attention back to the dance floor and saw that Dumbledore had started dancing with McGonagall, and Hagrid and Mme. Maxime were clearing a wide path through the crowds of dancers.

When he couldn't stand the boredom any longer, he left to go to bed.

Percy POV

I led Annabeth out of the castle and we stopped, out of breath, under a tree. She worked her shoes off her feet and massaged them.

"Remind me to chuck these into the fire."

"Yes ma'am."

I saluted playfully. She grinned and leaned back against the tree.

"I love you Percy."

I smiled, "I know. I love you so much."

She kissed my cheek. I grinned.

Our hands were laced together and we sat and watched the sun set. She leaned into my embrace as I brought her closer to me. I smiled wider and played with her hair.

"I am so lucky to have you as a girlfriend. Really, I love you so much. Thanks for everything Annabeth."

"Aww, love you too Percy."

Then he whispered, "you looked great in a dress."

Annabeth laughed. "Thanks."

 **Sorry that this is slightly shorter than my other chapters. I hope you liked, don't forget to review!**

 **~doodledraw**


	4. Chapter 4

Feburary 24th - 2nd Trial

Percy POV

I was right.

Gods, I was right.

Annabeth… What if? What if I couldn't save her?

I tossed and turned in my bed over and over again. Annabeth had been called to see McGonagall. She had never come back.  
 _Focus._ He figured it would do nothing to worry over this. He had to get her back.

To get Annabeth back, he would do anything.  
Anything. Anything at all.

He got up, and managed to walk to breakfast.  
Then, he managed to get to the next task. There, Ludo briefed us on what was going to happen.

Harry arrived late, looking out of breath. I patted him on the shoulder and explained in a low tone what was going to happen. Harry nodded, dazed, and gripped something tight in his hand.

When I was assured that Harry knew what was going on, I turned back to the water.

Then Ludo started his commentary (still atrocious) and blew his whistle.  
We jumped in. Harry was slow but I waited around for a bit and saw he had made it. I looked at him studiously and found he had gills, and webbed feet and hands. He startled when he saw me using nothing, but I smiled and gave the thumbs up sign. It took me a moment to get my bearings, then I managed to get in contact with some fish who pointed me in the right direction. I started propelling myself as fast as I could.

Some merpeople met me.

 _Lord! We - we didn't expect you here. We - um. Well, just go… which way was it?_ The merperson looked at its companion. I wanted to laugh at their expressions of distress.

 _I think… maybe… no… that way? Nope. This way. Yes. Yes, It's this way. I'm sure of it. Definitely, go that way. See you there!_ They swum off leaving me laughing. Then I turned serious, and decided to actually rescue Annabeth. I checked my watch and saw that it had been five minutes. I swum faster, eager to get to Annabeth.

I saw Annabeth and swum faster. She was floating, her ankles suspended by chains. I took out Riptide and slashed through the chains. There I waited for the other champions. Harry arrived and wasted no time, once I was satisfied that he knew what to do, I wrapped my arm around Annabeth's waist and started propelling myself towards the shore.

I saw the surface and propelled harder…

Then my head broke the surface and Annabeth gasped for air next to me. She wrapped her arms around my neck as we got nearer to the shore of the lake.

The crowd was cheering themselves hoarse and I checked my watch, it had only taken me half an hour, good. When we clambered onto shore Annabeth looked up at me and laughed, pleading with her eyes. I rolled mine and dried her off (only after I got her to say the 'magic word'... Haha).  
Then we sat down on the beach and waited for others to get up. Chiron came trotting over and patted me on the back.

"You were definitely going to win this one weren't you?"

I laughed. "Yep. No question."

"Congratulations."  
Chiron left and sat back down with the judges. Annabeth and I sat and watched the water.

Soon, Cedric came up with Cho, both gasping for breath. Sadly, when I checked my watch he was just outside of the hour limit.

I clapped along with the others, and when they got up they sat down next to us.

"Some trial eh?" Cedric asked, his arm wrapped around Cho's shoulders.  
I grinned, "nah. I have no quarrel with water."

"How did you do it?"

"My father's Poseidon."

"Poseidon? The roman-"

"Greek!"

"-Greek-sorry… God of the sea right?"

"Yep. I'm a demigod. That gives me some advantages in water."

"Very cool! So you don't have gills or anything?"

He examined my neck as if looking for gills or some sort of other appendage. I laughed, and patiently told him there was nothing there.

Just then the surface bubbled and Fleur came up, there was loud cheering until they realized there was no hostage with her. The cheering died immediately, as we listened to Fleur's heart wrenching sobs.  
"Gabrielle… oh la pauvre… Je n'ai pas pu la sauver… Mais elle doit me détester…" (Gabrielle… oh poor dear...I wasn't able to save her… Oh but she must hate me…)

"Mais non… Je suis sure qu'elle ne vous déteste pas. C'est ta soeur… Elle t'aimera même si tu ne lui sauve pas… Elle ne va pas mourir." (No… I am sure she doesn't hate you. Its your sister… She will love you even if you don't save her… She won't die.)

Piper was now speaking to her in rapid french while hugging her. All the Beauxbatons students were looking quite taken aback.

Percy wanted to laugh, but had a feeling that wouldn't go over well.

Soon the surface broke again and Krum came out with Hermione, who was worrying about Harry and Ron. Mme Pomfrey came and wrapped them in towels, muttering furiously about stupid trials and stupid Dumbledore and couldn't they see that this was a bad idea, now she will have students with colds…

Again, Percy had to suppress a laugh. Then he continued watching the water. Suddenly something made him blink in alarm.

"Harry's down there! I've got to go save him!" Before anyone could stop me I made for the water and jumped in.  
Harry was struggling, I grabbed him under the arms and swum him to the surface, amongst cheering. He was struggling under the weight of his sodden robes. With my touch, he was instantly dry and stopped shivering.

I tuned out for the rest of it. I barely heard Bagman announcing the scores, and it came to no surprise I was awarded full points and was now on the top of the leaderboard.

All I could think about was how badly I wanted a nap.

 **Alright, sorry I couldn't upload this yesterday. I was really busy.**

 **Hope you enjoyed!**

 **~doodledraw**

 **PS sorry its a bit shorter than usual**


	5. Chapter 5

24th June - 3rd Task Percy POV Preparation for the third and last task was crazy. Since I had no wand, I dueled with Annabeth so much my arms were sore, and I practiced water magic for hours on end. Annabeth was busy making some sort of bag that I could store water in. All the campers wanted to train with me, Clarisse kept pounding me.

But I think Harry had the worst of it. This woman named Rita Skeeter had it out for him. Almost every day in the _Daily Prophet_ (A load of trash if you ask me) she would write an article about him. Draco would come in screaming about something-or-other and then collapse laughing. It was getting annoying and I could tell Harry was getting mad, and it was getting harder to control himself. Most of the time I hastily switched the subject to Quidditch or something else. Finally the time arrived. Bagman ushered us to the field, which now had bushes 20 feet high and there was a gap in front of us. I shouldered my backpack. The maze loomed in front of us. Soon, the stands started filling up. I could see my parents in the front row (not Poseidon) and Annabeth. All the demigods were wearing blue or sea green, even Chiron. That gave me a boost of confidence.

"In first place," boomed Bagman suddenly. "Is Mr Percy Jackson of the Camps!" The demigods cheered, and I smiled and waved.

"In second place, tied, are Mr Cedric Diggory and Mr Harry Potter of Hogwarts!" The Hogwarts crowd cheered.

"In third is Mr Viktor Krum of Durmstrang!" The Durmstrangs cheered and pounded their feet chanting his name.

"And finally, in last place is Miss Fleur Delacour of Beauxbatons!" The Beauxbatons students applauded.

"So, Mr Jackson, on my whistle you may enter the Maze!" He gave a short blast and I waved and ran forwards into the maze. When I got to a fork, I remembered Annabeth's advice from years before and chose the left, keeping my hand on the wall. I kept walking, Riptide extended. Suddenly I stopped. A Blast Ended Skrewt. It was ten feet long.

I panted from my running and summoned some water in my palm. I shot a stream at it and bowled it over. There I stabbed it with my sword and ran off. I kept running, when suddenly I got to a dead end. I trusted my sense of direction and ran in the first path I found. Soon I met Harry. He waved at me and told me not to cross golden mist. I grinned and thanked him. Then we parted ways. Suddenly I spotted a weird blueish glow coming from ahead of me. I kept walking and I spotted the Triwizard Cup.

My heartbeat sped up. Suddenly there was a rustling of bushes and Harry emerged next to me. We looked at each other and the same thought seemed to cross our minds.

He held out his hand for me to go, and I shook my head. "No, I'm not even a wizard. You go."

"No. I don't want it. You go."

"Together then?" He nodded.

"Together." We walked towards it and each grasped a handle. Suddenly it seemed like we were being sucked away. I felt a strong pull towards my navel.

Then we were falling. I felt like I would be sick, it was just like Tartarus. We landed. Harry looked confused as I helped him to his feet. "What's going on?"

"I have no idea." We walked around and I spotted someone approaching. I pointed it out to Harry and he raised his wand. I ducked out of sight behind a rock and drew Riptide. I don't think the approaching figure saw me.

A wand whipped out and slashed in Harry's direction, suddenly he was held by thick cords. Then he was tied to a gravestone. The man checked the tightness of the cords, and then walked away. A snake started circling the gravestone, hissing. The man fetched a big black cauldron, water was sloshing around.

He started a fire under it and a cold, high voice spoke, "Hurry!"

The man started shaking and said, "it is ready, Master."

"Now...," said the voice. The man picked up the bundle at the foot of the grave and the cloth fell away. I gagged and I could see Harry started struggling.

He dropped the baby in the cauldron.

The man started speaking, "Bone of the father, unknowingly given, you will renew your son!" Then he dug up a long, white bone. He placed it into the cauldron and I found myself hoping for the bone to crush the baby.

The man was speaking again, his voice trembling, "Flesh — of the servant — w-willingly given — you will — revive — your master." Then he raised a silver dagger and slashed down onto his left arm. I looked away when I realized what he would do. He was cutting off his own hand. Then the scream...The worst, most bone chilling scream I had ever heard.

Then he moved to Harry, who was struggling to free himself. "B-blood of the enemy . . . forcibly taken . . . you will . . . resurrect your foe." He cut a slash in Harry's arm and dripped some of the blood into the cauldron. I was disgusted and wanted to vomit now.

Then something happened to the cauldron. It started bubbling and frothing and suddenly smoke obscured everything. Then, a form started climbing out of the cauldron. It was tall and its skin was white. It had a slit nose, and red eyes.

Even _I_ knew who this was.

Lord Voldemort was back.

The snakelike figure examined its body and grinned with satisfaction. I watched as he pressed his finger to a mark on the man's arm and it turned jet black.

"How many will be brave enough to return when they feel it?" he whispered, his gleaming red eyes fixed upon the stars.

"And how many will be foolish enough to stay away?" He began to pace up and down before Harry and the fat man, eyes sweeping the graveyard all the while. After a minute or so, he looked down at Harry again, a cruel smile twisting his snakelike face.

"You stand, Harry Potter, upon the remains of my late father," he hissed softly. "A Muggle and a fool . . . very like your dear mother. But they both had their uses, did they not? Your mother died to defend you as a child . . . and I killed my father, and see how useful he has proved himself, in death. . . ." Voldemort laughed again. Up and down he paced, looking all around him as he walked, and the snake continued to circle in the grass.

"You see that house upon the hillside, Potter? My father lived there. My mother, a witch who lived here in this village, fell in love with him. But he abandoned her when she told him what she was. . . . He didn't like magic, my father . . .

"He left her and returned to his Muggle parents before I was even born, Potter, and she died giving birth to me, leaving me to be raised in a Muggle orphanage . . . but I vowed to find him . . . I revenged myself upon him, that fool who gave me his name . . . Tom Riddle. . . ." Still he paced, his red eyes darting from grave to grave.

"Listen to me, reliving family history . . ." he said quietly, "why, I am growing quite sentimental. . . . But look, Harry! My true family returns. . . ."

The air was suddenly full of the swishing of cloaks. Between graves, behind the yew tree, in every shadowy space, wizards were Apparating.

All of them were hooded and masked. And one by one they moved forward . . . slowly, cautiously, as though they could hardly believe their eyes. I was careful to make sure I was still out of sight.

Voldemort stood in silence, waiting for them.

Then one of the Death Eaters fell to his knees, crawled toward Voldemort, and kissed the hem of his black robes. "Master . . . Master . . ." he murmured. The Death Eaters behind him did the same; each of them approaching Voldemort on his knees and kissing his robes, before backing away and standing up, forming a silent circle, which enclosed Tom Riddle's grave, Harry, Voldemort, me and the sobbing and twitching heap of the man. I noticed they left gaps in the circle, like they were waiting for more people. Voldemort, however, did not seem to expect more. He looked around at the hooded faces, and though there was no wind, a rustling seemed to run around the circle, as though it had shivered.

"Welcome, Death Eaters," said Voldemort quietly. "Thirteen years . . . thirteen years since last we met. Yet you answer my call as though it were yesterday. . . . We are still united under the Dark Mark, then! Or are we?" He put back his terrible face and sniffed, his slit-like nostrils widening. "I smell guilt," he said.

"There is a stench of guilt upon the air." A second shiver ran around the circle, as though each member of it longed, but did not dare, to step back from him. "I see you all, whole and healthy, with your powers intact — such prompt appearances! And I ask myself . . . why did this band of wizards never come to the aid of their master, to whom they swore eternal loyalty?" No one spoke. No one moved except the one man, who was still on the ground, still sobbing over his bleeding arm.

"And I answer myself," whispered Voldemort, "they must have believed me broken, they thought I was gone. They slipped back among my enemies, and they pleaded innocence, and ignorance, and bewitchment. . .

"And then I ask myself, but how could they have believed I would not rise again? They, who knew the steps I took, long ago, to guard myself against mortal death? They, who had seen proofs of the immensity of my power in the times when I was mightier than any wizard living?

"And I answer myself, perhaps they believed a still greater power could exist, one that could vanquish even Lord Voldemort . . . perhaps they now pay allegiance to another . . . perhaps that champion of commoners, of Mudbloods and Muggles, Albus Dumbledore?" At the mention of Dumbledore's name, the members of the circle stirred, and some muttered and shook their heads. Voldemort ignored them.

"It is a disappointment to me . . . I confess myself disappointed. . . ." One of the men suddenly flung himself forward, breaking the circle. Trembling from head to foot, he collapsed at Voldemort's feet.

"Master!" he shrieked, "Master, forgive me! Forgive us all!"

Voldemort began to laugh. He raised his wand. "Crucio!" The Death Eater on the ground writhed and shrieked; Voldemort raised his wand. The tortured Death Eater lay flat upon the ground, gasping.

"Get up, Avery," said Voldemort softly. "Stand up. You ask for forgiveness? I do not forgive. I do not forget. Thirteen long years . . . I want thirteen years' repayment before I forgive you. Wormtail here has paid some of his debt already, have you not, Wormtail?" He looked down at Wormtail, who continued to sob.

"You returned to me, not out of loyalty, but out of fear of your old friends. You deserve this pain, Wormtail. You know that, don't you?"

"Yes, Master," moaned Wormtail, "please, Master . . . please . . ."

"Yet you helped return me to my body," said Voldemort coolly, watching Wormtail sob on the ground. "Worthless and traitorous as you are, you helped me . . . and Lord Voldemort rewards his helpers. . . ." Voldemort raised his wand again and whirled it through the air. A streak of what looked like molten silver hung shining in the wand's wake. Momentarily shapeless, it writhed and then formed itself into a gleaming replica of a human hand, bright as moonlight, which soared downward and fixed itself upon Wormtail's bleeding wrist. Wormtail's sobbing stopped abruptly.

His breathing harsh and ragged, he raised his head and stared in disbelief at the silver hand, now attached seamlessly to his arm, as though he were wearing a dazzling glove. He flexed the shining fingers, then, trembling, picked up a small twig on the ground and crushed it into powder.

"My Lord," he whispered. "Master . . . it is beautiful . . . thank you . . . thank you. . . ." He scrambled forward on his knees and kissed the hem of Voldemort's robes.

"May your loyalty never waver again, Wormtail," said Voldemort.

"No, my Lord . . . never, my Lord . . ." Wormtail stood up and took his place in the circle, staring at his powerful new hand, his face still shining with tears. Voldemort now approached the man on Wormtail's right.

"Lucius, my slippery friend," he whispered, halting before him. "I am told that you have not renounced the old ways, though to the world you present a respectable face. You are still ready to take the lead in a spot of Muggle-torture, I believe? Yet you never tried to find me, Lucius. . . . Your exploits at the Quidditch World Cup were fun, I daresay . . . but might not your energies have been better directed toward finding and aiding your master?"

"My Lord, I was constantly on the alert," came a voice swiftly from beneath the hood. I could tell it was just like Draco's. I knew he was suspicious. "Had there been any sign from you, any whisper of your whereabouts, I would have been at your side immediately, nothing could have prevented me —"

"And yet you ran from my Mark, when a faithful Death Eater sent it into the sky last summer?" said Voldemort lazily, and Mr. Malfoy stopped talking abruptly. "Yes, I know all about that, Lucius. . . . You have disappointed me. . . . I expect more faithful service in the future."

"Of course, my Lord, of course. . . . You are merciful, thank you. . . ." Voldemort moved on, and stopped, staring at the space — large enough for two people — that separated Malfoy and the next man. "The Lestranges should stand here," said Voldemort quietly.

"But they are entombed in Azkaban. They were faithful. They went to Azkaban rather than renounce me. . . . When Azkaban is broken open, the Lestranges will be honored beyond their dreams. The dementors will join us . . . they are our natural allies . . . we will recall the banished giants . . . I shall have all my devoted servants returned to me, and an army of creatures whom all fear. . . ." He walked on. Some of the Death Eaters he passed in silence, but he paused before others and spoke to them.

"Macnair . . . destroying dangerous beasts for the Ministry of Magic now, Wormtail tells me? You shall have better victims than that soon, Macnair. Lord Voldemort will provide. . . ."

"Thank you, Master . . . thank you," murmured Macnair.

"And here" — Voldemort moved on to the two largest hooded figures — "we have Crabbe . . . you will do better this time, will you not, Crabbe? And you, Goyle?"

They bowed clumsily, muttering dully. "Yes, Master . . ."

"We will, Master. . . ."

"The same goes for you, Nott," said Voldemort quietly as he walked past a stooped figure in Mr. Goyle's shadow.

"My Lord, I prostrate myself before you, I am your most faithful —"

"That will do," said Voldemort. He had reached the largest gap of all, and he stood surveying it with his blank, red eyes, as though he could see people standing there.

"And here we have six missing Death Eaters . . . three dead in my service. One, too cowardly to return . . . he will pay. One, who I believe has left me forever . . . he will be killed, of course . . . and one, who remains my most faithful servant, and who has already reentered my service."

The Death Eaters stirred, and I saw their eyes dart sideways at one another through their masks. "He is at Hogwarts, that faithful servant, and it was through his efforts that our young friend arrived here tonight. . . .

"Yes," said Voldemort, a grin curling his lipless mouth as the eyes of the circle flashed in Harry's direction. "Harry Potter has kindly joined us for my rebirthing party. One might go so far as to call him my guest of honor." There was a silence.

Then the Death Eater to the right of Wormtail stepped forward, and Lucius Malfoy's voice spoke from under the mask. "Master, we crave to know . . . we beg you to tell us . . . how you have achieved this . . . this miracle . . . how you managed to return to us. . . ."

"Ah, what a story it is, Lucius," said Voldemort. "And it begins — and ends — with my young friend here." He walked lazily over to stand next to Harry, so that the eyes of the whole circle were upon the two of them. The snake continued to circle. "You know, of course, that they have called this boy my downfall?" Voldemort said softly, his red eyes upon Harry, whose scar began to burn so fiercely that he almost screamed in agony.

"You all know that on the night I lost my powers and my body, I tried to kill him. His mother died in the attempt to save him — and unwittingly provided him with a protection I admit I had not foreseen. . . . I could not touch the boy." Voldemort raised one of his long white fingers and put it very close to Harry's cheek.

"His mother left upon him the traces of her sacrifice. . . . This is old magic, I should have remembered it, I was foolish to overlook it . . . but no matter. I can touch him now."

I watched the cold tip of the long white finger touch him. Voldemort laughed softly in his ear, then took the finger away and continued addressing the Death Eaters. "I miscalculated, my friends, I admit it. My curse was deflected by the woman's foolish sacrifice, and it rebounded upon myself. Aaah . . . pain beyond pain, my friends; nothing could have prepared me for it. I was ripped from my body, I was less than spirit, less than the meanest ghost . . . but still, I was alive. What I was, even I do not know . . . I, who have gone further than anybody along the path that leads to immortality. You know my goal — to conquer death. And now, I was tested, and it appeared that one or more of my experiments had worked . . . for I had not been killed, though the curse should have done it. Nevertheless, I was as powerless as the weakest creature alive, and without the means to help myself . . . for I had no body, and every spell that might have helped me required the use of a wand. . . .

"I remember only forcing myself, sleeplessly, endlessly, second by second, to exist. . . . I settled in a faraway place, in a forest, and I waited. . . . Surely, one of my faithful Death Eaters would try and find me . . . one of them would come and perform the magic I could not, to restore me to a body . . . but I waited in vain. . . ."

The shiver ran once more around the circle of listening Death Eaters. Voldemort let the silence spiral horribly before continuing. "Only one power remained to me. I could possess the bodies of others. But I dared not go where other humans were plentiful, for I knew that the Aurors were still abroad and searching for me. I sometimes inhabited animals — snakes, of course, being my preference — but I was little better off inside them than as pure spirit, for their bodies were ill adapted to perform magic . . . and my possession of them shortened their lives; none of them lasted long. . . .

"Then . . . four years ago . . . the means for my return seemed assured. A wizard — young, foolish, and gullible — wandered across my path in the forest I had made my home. Oh, he seemed the very chance I had been dreaming of . . . for he was a teacher at Dumbledore's school . . . he was easy to bend to my will . . . he brought me back to this country, and after a while, I took possession of his body, to supervise him closely as he carried out my orders. But my plan failed. I did not manage to steal the Sorcerer's Stone. I was not to be assured immortal life. I was thwarted . . . thwarted, once again, by Harry Potter. . . ."

Silence once more; nothing was stirring, not even the leaves on the tree. The Death Eaters were quite motionless, the glittering eyes in their masks fixed upon Voldemort, and on Harry.

"The servant died when I left his body, and I was left as weak as ever I had been," Voldemort continued.

"I returned to my hiding place far away, and I will not pretend to you that I didn't then fear that I might never regain my powers. . . . Yes, that was perhaps my darkest hour . . . I could not hope that I would be sent another wizard to possess . . . and I had given up hope, now, that any of my Death Eaters cared what had become of me. . . ."

One or two of the masked wizards in the circle moved uncomfortably, but Voldemort took no notice. "And then, not even a year ago, when I had almost abandoned hope, it happened at last . . . a servant returned to me. Wormtail here, who had faked his own death to escape justice, was driven out of hiding by those he had once counted friends, and decided to return to his master. He sought me in the country where it had long been rumored I was hiding . . . helped, of course, by the rats he met along the way. Wormtail has a curious affinity with rats, do you not, Wormtail? His filthy little friends told him there was a place, deep in an Albanian forest, that they avoided, where small animals like themselves had met their deaths by a dark shadow that possessed them. . . .

"But his journey back to me was not smooth, was it, Wormtail? For, hungry one night, on the edge of the very forest where he had hoped to find me, he foolishly stopped at an inn for some food . . . and who should he meet there, but one Bertha Jorkins, a witch from the Ministry of Magic.

"Now see the way that fate favors Lord Voldemort. This might have been the end of Wormtail, and of my last hope for regeneration. But Wormtail — displaying a presence of mind I would never have expected from him — convinced Bertha Jorkins to accompany him on a nighttime stroll. He overpowered her . . . he brought her to me. And Bertha Jorkins, who might have ruined all, proved instead to be a gift beyond my wildest dreams . . . for — with a little persuasion — she became a veritable mine of information.

"She told me that the Triwizard Tournament would be played at Hogwarts this year. She told me that she knew of a faithful Death Eater who would be only too willing to help me, if I could only contact him. She told me many things . . . but the means I used to break the Memory Charm upon her were powerful, and when I had extracted all useful information from her, her mind and body were both damaged beyond repair. She had now served her purpose. I could not possess her. I disposed of her."

Voldemort smiled his terrible smile, his red eyes blank and pitiless. "Wormtail's body, of course, was ill adapted for possession, as all assumed him dead, and would attract far too much attention if noticed. However, he was the able-bodied servant I needed, and, poor wizard though he is, Wormtail was able to follow the instructions I gave him, which would return me to a rudimentary, weak body of my own, a body I would be able to inhabit while awaiting the essential ingredients for true rebirth . . . a spell or two of my own invention . . . a little help from my dear Nagini," Voldemort's red eyes fell upon the continually circling snake.

"A potion concocted from unicorn blood, and the snake venom Nagini provided . . . I was soon returned to an almost human form, and strong enough to travel.

"There was no hope of stealing the Sorcerer's Stone anymore, for I knew that Dumbledore would have seen to it that it was destroyed. But I was willing to embrace mortal life again, before chasing immortality. I set my sights lower . . . I would settle for my old body back again, and my old strength.

"I knew that to achieve this — it is an old piece of Dark Magic, the potion that revived me tonight — I would need three powerful ingredients. Well, one of them was already at hand, was it not, Wormtail? Flesh given by a servant. . . .

"My father's bone, naturally, meant that we would have to come here, where he was buried. But the blood of a foe . . . Wormtail would have had me use any wizard, would you not, Wormtail? Any wizard who had hated me . . . as so many of them still do. But I knew the one I must use, if I was to rise again, more powerful than I had been when I had fallen. I wanted Harry Potter's blood. I wanted the blood of the one who had stripped me of power thirteen years ago . . . for the lingering protection his mother once gave him would then reside in my veins too. . . .

"But how to get at Harry Potter? For he has been better protected than I think even he knows, protected in ways devised by Dumbledore long ago, when it fell to him to arrange the boy's future. Dumbledore invoked an ancient magic, to ensure the boy's protection as long as he is in his relations' care. Not even I can touch him there. . . . Then, of course, there was the Quidditch World Cup. . . . I thought his protection might be weaker there, away from his relations and Dumbledore, but I was not yet strong enough to attempt kidnap in the midst of a horde of Ministry wizards. And then, the boy would return to Hogwarts, where he is under the crooked nose of that Muggle-loving fool from morning until night. So how could I take him?

"Why . . . by using Bertha Jorkins' information, of course. Use my one faithful Death Eater, stationed at Hogwarts, to ensure that the boy's name was entered into the Goblet of Fire. Use my Death Eater to ensure that the boy won the tournament — that he touched the Triwizard Cup first — the cup which my Death Eater had turned into a Portkey, which would bring him here, beyond the reach of Dumbledore's help and protection, and into my waiting arms. And here he is . . . the boy you all believed had been my downfall. . . ."

Voldemort moved slowly forward and turned to face Harry. He raised his wand.

"Crucio!"

Now I couldn't stand it anymore. I jumped out from behind the headstone and started using my water to knock out as many of the Death Eaters as I could. Voldemort turned to Wormtail, who had started shaking.

"Who is this?"

"I do not know my Lord! I am sorry!"

"Harry! Get to the Cup!" I yelled.

I took out Riptide and started swinging, not caring who I hit, they deserved to die for what they had started. The Death Eaters, apparently confused with the lack of magic were too stunned to do anything for a while, which gave me the advantage. I started backing up, towards the Cup. Harry was sending spells over my head, stunning and disarming. He was very good. Soon the Death Eaters got over their stupor and started shooting at me. I got a few gashes on my arms and once I tripped and fell, banging my hip.

Finally I made it back to the Cup. I grabbed onto the handle and so did Harry… we were spinning, spinning, gone.

We landed, and at first there were cheers, but then when they realized we were both panting heavily and I was bleeding, they subsided. Annabeth was the first to reach me, followed by Dumbledore and Moody. Harry collapsed beside me, but before I could fall, Annabeth put my arm around her shoulder and held me up.  
Dumbledore crouched down beside Harry and shook him gently.

"Harry… Harry!"

He looked up and whispered feebly, "he's back… Voldemort… He's returned."

Those words chilled me as Annabeth helped me back to the ship. She laid me down in the bed and helped me take care of my wounds.

And as I thought about it, I came to one conclusion; Harry Potter was in for it.

 _THE END_

 **There we go! Sorry this last installment is late, but I had to write it all... This is long because I copied Voldy's speech from The Goblet of Fire chapters 34 & 35.**

 **I hope you enjoyed this story as much as I did and I plan on writing more Harry Potter in the future!**

 **Keep watching for my next story and check out the short that I did on Remus and Tonks!**

 **Review!**

 **~doodledraw**

 **EDIT: I fixed the block of text and I properly finished it, I realize the ending was crappy before, and you thought it was going to continue... Sorry about that. I love you guys and it MAKES MY DAY to read reviews. Please review!**


End file.
